Now she’s in that challenging (for her, delicious for Margaret) place of choosing her next project.

Margaret mentions how after she washes her handmade socks, she dries them on a Towel Warmer because the Arcata climate is so humid otherwise they don’t dry before they mildew. Towels in her house don’t dry after they are used, so she uses the towel warmer for them — and why not for socks.

Margaret continued her exploration of long stranded bead necklaces/wrap bracelets. She’s getting the hang of the Wrap Around Crochet Bracelet by Yuli Nilssen: she’s using heavier weight yarn and a smaller crochet hook than last time. Probably a little tighter stitch after the beads would help even more. The last photo is a comparison of the first attempt and the second. (It’s all about learning, right?)

The Mad River in California (there are other Mad Rivers elsewhere) runs 113 miles from the Trinity mountains to the Pacific between McKinleyville and Arcata.

Knitting Tip: Flipping your Blocking Board

If finding enough space is an issue when you block your knits,layout your knitted item on your blocking board (or a piece of plywood or sturdy cardboard, pin it securely, then flip the board upright and lean against the wall.

In the middle: a failed attempt at a crocheted strand: no fault of the pattern– the yarn was too fine for the size of beads. Check out Wrap Around Crochet bracelets for lots of successful projects and Yuli Nilssen for her other designs.

Brainy Stuff: What determines your success or ease with a project — the level of difficulty or the level or concentration?

Many knitting and crochet patterns are labeled by skill level: beginner, intermediate or advanced or easy and challenging. But what do these terms mean? If you are an expert lace knitter, does that mean you’ll find cables easy? Catherine and Margaret discuss what the differences are and how they may or may not impact your experience creating a particular project.

Redwood Curtain: Table Bluff, CA.

From the South Spit looking up to Table Bluff

From Table Bluff looking down: Humboldt Bay to the Right (East), Pacific Ocean to the Left (West)

Viewing to the East, Humboldt Bay.

Beauty in the sand:

Knitting Tip:

Use a Kitchen scale to determine amount of yarn you have left.

Number of yards in total skein X (number of yards left) ————————— = ——————–

Number of grams in total skein Number of grams left in skein

X equals number of yards in total skein (times) Number of grams left in skein (divided by) number of grams in total skein.